Day 1: We will meet in our local town for our transfer to the nearest major airport for our evening departure on our major international airline for our flight to Dublin. We will be served dinner and can watch a movie during our overnight flight. (In-flight meals)

Day 2: On arrival in Dublin we will quickly pass through the informal and welcoming Irish immigration and customs to the arrivals hall, where we will meet our Driver/Guide, who will be with us for the duration of our stay in the Emerald Isle. After we have all gathered our belongings and made our way to our luxury motorcoach we will depart the airport and set off to Dublin, the capital of Ireland and one of Europe’s most vibrant cities. We will be transferred to our hotel, later we will meet as a group for a welcome cocktail, and a chance to discuss what is in store for us over the next few days, we will then adjourn to the dinning room for our welcome dinner. (D)

Day 3: After our full Irish breakfast, we will head out on our guided tour of Dublin City. WE will visit Christ Church Cathedral; which was commissioned in 1172 by Stongbow, the Anglo-Norman conqueror of Dublin. It replaced an earlier wooden church built by the Vikings in 1038. We will also visit Trinity College founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I on the site of an Augustinian monastery. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, which is the most richly decorated of Ireland’s medieval illuminated manuscripts. The book contains the four gospels in Latin. Some of the dyes used were imported from as far as the Middle East. We will then head to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, founded beside a sacred will where St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts around AD 450. The writer and satirist Jonathan Swift, whose best known work is Gulliver’s Travels, became Dean of St. Patrick’s in 1713. His grave and epitaph are situated near the entrance to the cathedral. Then it is off to visit the world famous Guinness Storehouse at St. James’ Gate for a guided tour and afterwards enjoy a perfect complimentary pint of Guinness in the Sky Bar, which is located at the top of a glass tower that commands spectacular views of Dublin City & County in every direction. Then it is back to the hotel to freshen up before our included dinner in the hotel; you may then wish to head out on your own and explore Templebar, which has some of Ireland’s best pubs. (B, D)

Day 4: This morning after breakfast, we will leave Dublin and head to Kilkenny, considered by many to be Ireland’s loveliest inland city. It rose to prominence in the 13th century, when the Irish Parliament often met at Kilkenny Castle. On the way south we will visit the Irish National Stud and the Japanese Gardens in Kildare. This is a state run bloodstock farm, which was founded in 1900 by an eccentric Anglo – Irish colonel called William Walker. On finishing the tour of the stud farm, take a walk through the Japanese Gardens, which were laid out in 1906 to symbolize the “Life of Man.” You will visit Kilkenny Castle, which has been an important site since Strongbow, constructed the first building, a wooden tower in the 12th century. William the Earl Marshall built the first stone castle on the site in 1260. You will be joined by a local guide for a Walking Tour of Kilkenny City, which is located on a bend o the River Nore. Kilkenny is of great architectural interest, with much use of the distinctive local black limestone, known as Kilkenny marble. Dinner this evening ~ we will by the guests of four Irish families on their fully working Farmhouse, outside of Kilkenny. This is an excellent opportunity to experience at first hand Irish family daily life. All bedrooms in each of the farmhouses will have private ensuite bathroom facilities. (B, D)

Day 5: After a hearty Irish breakfast in the farmhouses you will depart for Cork City on the banks of the River Lee, home of Murphy’s Original Irish Stout, and considered by many Corkonians to the real capital of Ireland!! Traveling south via Tipperary you will have time to discuss with your fellow travelers about your experience and impressions of last night with your Irish host families. Your will visit The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, which was the seat of kings and medieval bishops for 900 years and flourished until the early 17th century. Brian Ború was crowned King of Munster here in 977 and he became High King of Ireland in 1002. We will visit the Old Midleton Distillery, which has the world’s largest pot still with a capacity of over 30,000 gallons. After the tour you might like to enjoy a complimentary drop of Irish whiskey, our dinner this evening will be in the Imperial Hotel Cork, our hotel for the night. The hotel is on the South Mall in the heart of Cork City. The South Mall was a waterway up to the late 18th century. If you look carefully you will see a series of steps outside many of the buildings that line this famous Cork Street which were once used to moor boats. (B, D)

Day 6: After breakfast you can wander through some of the small streets of Cork to visit the Old English Market, a covered market for fish, fruit, meat and vegetables. The origins of the market can be traced back to James 1st in 1610, but the present building dates from 1786. You will visit Blarney Castle, built in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy, and here you will have the opportunity to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone. You will have an opportunity for shopping at Blarney Woolen Mills where one of the largest selections of Irish arts, crafts & produce can be seen on display. We will then depart and continue on the road to Killarney, and the road will take as along the valley of the river Lee to the old market town of Macroom where you will see Macroom Castle, once home of Sir William Penn, whose son was later to found the state of Pennsylvania. You will continue on over the wild Derrynasaggart Mountains via the Irish speaking villages of Ballymakeery and Ballyvourney to Killarney town. We will visit Muckross House and Gardens, a Victorian mansion built in 1843 in Elizabethan style. Inside, the elegant rooms are decorated with period furnishings. There is also a museum of Kerry Life, which you may like to take a look at as well – you will return to your hotel for the night via a horse drawn jaunting cart, dinner this evening will be at our hotel the Killarney Plaza Hotel, which is the heart of Killarney and near many of the pubs with Irish music sessions in full swing. (B, D)

Day 7: Today will be a full day as we head off to do the world famous Ring of Kerry via Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen , Waterville and other famous towns as we circle the lakes with its beautiful views. You will have an opportunity for lunch at The Blind Piper Pub in the village of Caherdaniel. Locals & visitors alike have been drinking here since 1865 and Sandra O’Farrell; the publican will provide her usual good lunch and excellent pints. Who is the Blind Piper?? The Blind Piper is Mici Cumba O’ Sullivan who was born nearby in 1835 and became one of Ireland’s most famous pipers. After lunch we will meet a local guide in Caherdainiel and set off (walking) over the Kerry Way on the “Old Butter Road” over the hills to the village of Castlecove. This trail has commanding views to the south of the spectacular Beara Peninsula & Kenmare Bay including the islands of Deenish, Scarriff and the Bull Rock. Or if you are feeling a little less energetic you can have another pint of Guinness in the Blind Piper Pub or visit Derrynane House, the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell, lawyer, politician & statesman. Then it is back to our hotel for a much deserved & needed dinner (at least for those who were hiking!!).  (B, L, D)

Day 8: This morning bright and early we will head up the Atlantic seaboard on the west coast of Clare to Galway City, known as the “City of the Tribes”. At Tarbert you will cross the Shannon River by Ferry to Killimer and f you are lucky you might just see some dolphins that regularly visit this part of the Shannon Estuary. On arrival in Killimer you will continue up the Atlantic seaboard via the villages of Kilrush, Kilee, Ennistymon and Ballyvaughan to Dunguaire Castle at Kinvarra. We will visit the dramatic 650ft Cliffs of Moher, before meeting a local walking guide as we explore The Burren ~ which is Gaelic for rocky land on foot. Your local guide who is an expert on the flora, fauna & local folklore of the area and in this unique botanical environment it is common to see Mediterranean and Alpine plants rare to Ireland grow side by side. We will then head on into Galway city and our centrally located 4 star hotel the Radisson SAS Hotel, dinner this evening will be in the hotel. (B, D)

Day 9: Today you will tour the sights of wild Connemara via the Atlantic coastal village of Clifden, Connemara National Park, Killary Harbor & Leenane. You will visit Kylemore Abbey, which is nestled at the base of Duchruach Mountain on the northern shore of Lough Pollacappul, in the heart of the Connemara Mountains. It is regarded as one of Ireland’s most romantic buildings. You will visit a Mountain Sheep Farmer who is a local historian and philosopher and quite the character. He has 600 mountain ewes and farms about 600 hectares, which consists mostly of bog. On his farm there is turf cutting and some excellent fishing lakes. However emigration, low marriage & birth rates and a falling population have been a major problem among the farmers of this area. The problem started in 1846 during the Great Famine, which caused the population to drop from 8 million to 3.5 million in a short period. This farmer is quite a historian on the effect of the famine in his area and there are remains of a pre-famine village and a mass grave from that period on his farm. We will then make our way back to our hotel in Galway, after dinner this evening you may wish to ramble down to Quay Street with its great pubs. (B, D)

Day 10: After a full Irish breakfast this morning you will depart for Kinnitty castle in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains which rise up from the bogs & the plains of Offaly & Laois. Traveling east from Galway we will go through Ballinasloe & Athlone, which is the geographic center of Ireland. We will visit Clonmacnoise medieval monastery on the banks of the River Shannon founded by St. Ciaran in the 6th century. Clonmacnoise lay at a crossroads of medieval Ireland linking all parts of Ireland. Sacked time and again by the Vikings, it nevertheless flourished for over 600 years. You will travel on the Clonmacnoise & West Offaly Bog Train; this 45 minute tour covers 6 miles of bog land and gives a fascinating insight into the history, flora, fauna & development of bogs. We will have an early arrival in Kinnitty Castle for a guided tour of the castle and hear of its turbulent past followed by a leisurely afternoon on the extensive castle grounds. Dinner this evening will be at the castle, and after dinner you might like to retire to the Dungeon Bar for a nightcap before bed. Be warned Kinnitty Castle is haunted and sightings of the “Kinnitty Monk” are common by both staff & visitors. (B, D)

Day 11: This morning after a leisurely breakfast we set off once again for Dublin, and early afternoon arrival in the city will allow you at your leisure to explore the museums and art galleries or perhaps you might be tempted to visit Grafton Street, Dublin’s most popular and stylish shopping district. Later this evening we will all meet in the reception area of our hotel and depart for an excellent farewell dinner followed by a night of traditional Irish music, song & dance at Taylor’s Three Rock Pub. After a late night you will be returned to our hotel to get a good nights rest before our return journey tomorrow. (B, D)

Day 12: Sadly it is time to leave the Emerald Isle, after breakfast we are transferred to Dublin airport for our journey back home. (B, in-flight meals)

• Roundtrip air transportation from the USA to Dublin
• Deluxe motorcoach transportation in Ireland
• 11 Breakfasts, 10 Dinners
• Tours and admissions as listed in the itinerary
• Luggage handling (one bag per person)
• All taxes and gratuities for hotels, bellman, waiters, etc for included meals
• Full travel / medical insurance
• Professional BRT Driver / Guide and step on guides as mentioned

What is not included on the Tour?

• The air/land price of your tour does not include items of a personal nature; meals not included in the itinerary; and gratuities to the full time Driver / Guide. Also does not include taxes and fuel surcharges on the air tickets.